Apple In-Ear headphones - where's the bass??!

[peanutismint]

I'm probably alone in this but I'm a sound engineer who actually LIKES the standard Apple earbuds shipped with the majority of iPods/iPhones. For a pair of essentially 'free' earphones they're pretty clear and their bass response is reasonably good, so much so that I regularly use them for references mixes of recordings I'm working on (i figure half the world is going to listen to my tracks through these things so if they sound good on those then they're bound to sound good on some audiophile's boutique speaker setup...).

Recently, however, I purchased some of the in-ear model of headphones sold by Apple, and while I'm more than impressed with the clarity in the mid to top-end frequency response, I'm finding these are much lacking in the low-end department, even moreso than their earbud relatives. I thought 'if this is the bass response with these earbuds, imagine how much better it will be with the in-ear models', but apparently I was mistaken....

Is anyone else finding this? I've read some reviews on the Apple site (something I should probably have done beforehand...) which seem to echo what I'm saying here, but I'm wondering if anyone here has any experience/opinion.

Finally, if I'd like a little more low-end in my music, would it be acceptable to use one of my iPhone's EQ settings to beef up the bass? Or does this drain battery life/destroy the otherwise impeccable clarity offered by these earphones?

I'd love to hear people's thoughts!

 

[colquhounclan]

For the money spent on the Apple in-ear phones, the Klipsch S4i are far superior. Add on the Comply T-100 (or TX-100) foam tips, and the bass is nice and punchy.

 

[Tix]

Listen to what colquhounclan said. Adding Comply will help boost the bass because they create a FANTASTIC seal.
Be careful what you get though, the NEW Apple In-Ears use a product from them called "whoomp" but the OLD in-ears use their standard t-400s.
If you use their orange shop button, you will pick up the right thing.

 

[peanutismint]

Thanks guys (very old post - I know!!) but I think I'm going to try and get a pair of those Klipschs as suggested..... Do the Comply buds really make that much of a difference??

 

[Rocko1]

If the standard supplied silicone eartips are making a good air tight seal, then no, they won't help much. If they are not the Complys will help a little. Problem with the Complys is they attenuate the highs slightly.

 

[dccorona]

For the money spent on the Apple in-ear phones, the Klipsch S4i are far superior. Add on the Comply T-100 (or TX-100) foam tips, and the bass is nice and punchy.

on that note, would you happen to be able to tell me if, with the TX-100, does the addition of the wax guard sacrifice sound quality at all?

 

[chambone]

I'd love to hear people's thoughts!

I agree with you that for non-in-ears apple's standard buds sound good enough, getting more of a bad rep than they deserve. They're comparable with some old sennheisers that I own - mx400/500. Second, if you want full-range earphones, buy something that doesn't use balanced armature drivers. They're made for hearing aids and don't come even close to moving enough air for a proper low end unless multiple bass drivers per ear are used. I consider them a fad really.

 

[Rocko1]

I see why they don't make high end buds, most are in-ear buds. But while jogging and walking outside, I don't like to have so much ambient noise blocked.

Do they make a high end bud that's not in-ear?

 

[Toby Ziegler]

I've got a pair of Sony in-ear headphones and I've found that I really have to jam the darn things in my ear to get any decent sound out of them. Anything less and it sounds like I'm listening to music through a tin can and a string. So unless you're shoving them in there, you'll miss a lot of sound unfortunately.

On the flip side, they make fantastic earplugs.

 

[KeroLu]

I had the Apple IEMs. They were okay for the price I paid for it and I paired them with Sony silicone earbuds to improve the sound/isolation. Comply tips are great but you have to replace them frequently which I didn't want to since I've only paid like $20-30 for the apple earbuds.